Dignity - Proposed reading : Matthew 8. 5-11

Friday May 21, 2021

Clothe yourselves with humility, for God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. 1 Peter 5.5

Conduct yourself worthy of the gospel of Christ. Philippians 1. 27

Dignity - Proposed reading : Matthew 8. 5-11

In this scene from the gospel, the centurion impresses us with his faith. This Roman officer shows unbounded confidence in the power of Jesus. However, he displays great restraint in front of the greatness of the one who is in front of him, saying : "Lord, I am not worthy that you enter under my roof". He thus takes the place that every human should have before God.

John the Baptist, too, considered himself unworthy to untie the strap of the sandals of the Lord Jesus (Luke 3:16). To have recourse to the grace of God, we must feel our unworthiness... "O God, you do not disdain a broken and humiliated heart" (Psalm 51:19).

The Savior receives those who approach by recognizing their condition. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we receive by grace the forgiveness of sins and a new nature, the same as His. We are placed in a new position before God. This gives us real dignity, which does not come from us, but from God : we become children of God, and disciples of Christ. Accordingly, we are invited to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord (Colossians 1:10), worthy of God (1 Thessalonians 2:12), worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27).

Let us not pretend to be worthy of anything before God by our natural qualities. Let us accept the dignity that God gives us, and live in accordance with this privileged position.

Source (The Good Seed)